Dr Seck Invited by UN Secretary General to a High-Level Meeting on MDG

The United Nations
Secretary General has invited Africa Rice Center Director General Dr Papa
Abdoulaye Seck to lead a Round-table discussion on Poverty and Hunger on 25
September 2008 at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA. 





The Round-table discussion is being held as part of a High-level event on the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which is being convened by the President of
the

Rising food prices

Rather than being a threat, the current food crisis caused by rising food prices is a unique historical opportunity for Africa to break from decades of policy bias against agriculture, which accounts for 35% of GDP in the continent and 75% of employment.The present rice crisis for instance is already forcing African countries to pay attention to local rice production, which has been neglected for